Snoop Dogg’s Madonna Joke Puts VMA History Back in the Spotlight

The rapper turned Madonna’s iconic “Like a Virgin” era into a punchline during his opening monologue at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.

Snoop Dogg gave the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards an early viral moment on Sunday night, turning to Madonna’s decades-old “Like a Virgin” image for a joke during his opening monologue in Los Angeles.

As he welcomed viewers to the ceremony, Snoop referenced Madonna’s famous pop persona, joking that she was “not a virgin no more” — a line that quickly became one of the most discussed moments from the opening of the show.

The joke landed on a particularly significant night for Madonna. The singer returned to the VMAs stage for the first time in 23 years, opening the ceremony at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater. Her appearance marked her first live performance at the awards since the now-iconic 2003 opening alongside Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

Madonna’s relationship with the VMAs dates to the ceremony’s first broadcast in 1984. Her performance of “Like a Virgin” became one of the defining early moments in the history of the awards, helping establish the VMAs as a stage where music and pop culture could collide in unpredictable ways.

More than four decades later, that history provided Snoop with an obvious reference point as he took control of the ceremony.

The rapper is hosting and executive producing this year’s show as the VMAs return to the West Coast for the first time since 2017. Snoop is also a longtime figure in the ceremony’s history, having received 13 career VMA nominations and three wins. His previous appearances have included performances with Eminem and a tribute to The Notorious B.I.G.

Madonna arrived at this year’s ceremony as the leading nominee, with 11 nominations, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year. Taylor Swift followed with nine nominations.

Her return was also accompanied by a new generation of pop stars. Madonna opened the ceremony with a performance featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Charli xcx, bringing together different eras of pop music on the same stage.

The exchange between Snoop and Madonna therefore carried more weight than a typical awards-show joke. It drew directly from one of the most recognizable chapters in VMAs history while placing Madonna’s decades-long relationship with the ceremony back in the spotlight.

For Snoop, the line was an irreverent opening gag befitting the rapper’s hosting style. For Madonna, it was another reminder of the lasting cultural imprint of a performance that helped define the VMAs in their earliest years.

The 2026 VMAs are airing live from Los Angeles on CBS and MTV, with streaming available on Paramount+ in the United States.